GIFT  OF 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA   PUBLICATIONS 
UNIVERSITY    EXTENSION 


DEPARTMENT  OF  INFORMATION  AND  SOCIAL  WELFARE 


BULLETIN  No.  1 


STATE  BOARDS  OF  EDUCATION 

IRA  WOODS  HOWERTH 

Professor  of  Education  and  Director  of  University  Extension 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA   PUBLICATIONS 
UNIVERSITY    EXTENSION 


DEPARTMENT  OF  INFORMATION  AND  SOCIAL  WELFARE 


BULLETIN  No.  1 


STATE  BOARDS  OF  EDUCATION 


IRA  WOODS  HOWERTH 

Professor  of  Education  and  Director  of  University  Extension 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  PRESS 

BERKELEY 
JANUARY,  1913 


vi7 


FOREWORD. 


r»y  ;m  amendment  to  the  Constitution  of  the  State  of  Cali- 
fornia, adopted  by  the  people  at  the  last  election,  the  legislature 
is  i(,  provide  for  the  appointment  or  election  of  a  State  Board 
of  Education,  which  board  is  to  "provide,  compile  or  cause  to 
he  compiled,  and  adopt  a  uniform  series  of  text-books  for  use  in 
the  day  and  evening  elementary  schools  throughout  the  state," 
,ni(l  to  perform  such  other  duties  as  may  be  prescribed  by  law. 
This  in  effect  abolishes  the  existing  State  Board  of  Education  and 
1- hi«-cs  upon  the  legislature  the  responsibility  of  creating  a  new 
one  and  defining  its  powers  and  duties. 

The  creation  of  a  new  state  board  of  education  in  these  days 
when  educational  legislation  is  basing  itself  more  and  more  upon 
scientific  educational  principles  is  a  delicate  and  a  difficult,  as  well 
as  a  mast  important  task,  a  task  which  should  not  be  undertaken 
without  a  full  knowledge  of  the  structure,  functions,  and  degrees 
of  efficiency  of  the  existing  state  boards  of  education  throughout 
the  country. 

It  is  desirable,  therefore,  for  the  benefit  of  citizens  who  may  be 
interested  in  any  attempt  to  modify  the  educational  system  of  the 
State,  and  particularly  those  upon  whom  must  devolve  the  respons- 
ihility  of  le<rishition.  to  have  at  hand  and  easily  accessible  the 
main  facts  pertaining  to  state  boards  of  education.  These  facts 
•altered  through  the  educational  codes  and  the  constitutions 
of  the  forty -eiirht  states.  Few  persons  have  the  time,  the  neces- 
sary documents,  or  the  patience  to  look  them  up,  even  if  they 
should  feel  a  need  of  so  doing. 

It  .seemed,  therefore,  that  a  public  service  might  be  rendered 
by  assembling  these  facts  and  issuing  them  in  the  form  of  a 
bulletin.  The  author  undertook  a  similar  service  for  the  State 
of  Illinois  in  1!)<)S.  Fn  «  os€  has  been  made  of  the  data  then 

collected. 


STATE  BOARDS  OF  EDUCATION 


I.     NUMBER. 

Since  1784,  at  which  time  New  York  created  a  state  board  of  regents, 
"to  found  schools  and  colleges  in  any  part  of  the  state,"  the  tendency  in 
American  school  legislation  has  been  toward  consolidation,  system,  the 
articulation  of  educational  agencies,  and  the  elimination  of  educational 
waste.  There  has  consequently  been  a  gradual,  though  often  socially  un- 
conscious, evolution  of  state  educational  systems,  and  the  creation  of 
state  boards  of  education  as  means  to  the  desired  ends.  Within  recent 
years  the  tendency  has  been  marked.  In  1904  New  York  enacted  legis- 
lation providing  for  educational  consolidation  to  an  extent  which  some 
regarded  as  extreme.  Since  that  time  twenty-five  states  have  appointed 
educational  commissions  to  consider  the  possibilities  of  improving  either 
some  form  of  educational  effort,  or  the  entire  state  educational  system.  In 
•each  of  a  dozen  or  more  states  the  commission  was  authorized  to  investi- 
gate the  educational  system  of  the  state  with  a  view  to  proposing  recom- 
mendations in  regard  to  its  improvement.  Of  these  commissions,  every 
•one  has  proposed  the  creation  of  a  state  board  of  education,  or  the  re- 
organization of  the  state  board  if  one  was  already  in  existence.  Vermont, 
Pennsylvania,  Iowa  and  Arkansas  have  created  new  boards.  Massachu- 
setts, New  Jersey,  Delaware,  Georgia,  Oklahoma,  Washington,  Arizona 
and  New  Mexico  have  reorganized  old  ones. 

Still  other  states,  as  for  instance,  Illinois,  are  endeavoring  to  secure  a 
state  board  of  education.  Today  state  boards  of  education  are  found  in 
thirty-seven  states,  that  is  to  say,  in  all  the  states  except  Maine,  New 
Hampshire,  Alabama,  Illinois,  Iowa,  Minnesota,  North  and  South  Dakota, 
Nebraska,  Wisconsin  and  Wyoming.  Even  some  of  these  have  educational 
boards  with  state  functions.  The  following  states  make  constitutional  pro- 
vision for  a  state  board:  California,  Colorado,  Florida,  Louisiana,  Okla- 
homa, North  Carolina,  New  Mexico,  New  York,  Montana,  Mississippi, 
Missouri,  Michigan,  South  Carolina,  Texas  and  Utah.  The  principle  of 
educational  control  through  a  state  board  of  education  may  be  said  to  be 
thoroughly  established  in  American  education. 


II.     MEMBERSHIP. 

The  number  of  members  in  the  different  state  boards  of  education  varies 
from  three  to  eleven.  The  board  of  New  Jersey  formerly  had  twenty 
members;  as  reoriran i/ed  it  contains  eight.  Massachusetts  has  recently 
reduced  the  membership  of  its  board  from  ten  to  nine.  The  boards  of 
Delaware.  1  Vnnsy! vania,  Oklahoma  and  Washington,  all  recently  created 
or  reor<rani/ed,  have  seven  members.  The  new  boards  of  Arkansas  and 
Vermont  ha\ •«•  «>ight  and  seven  members  respectively.  The  favorite  num- 
<-t  to  the  members  of  new  and  proposed  state  boards  are 
seven  and  nine.  The  existing  situation  with  respect  to  number  of  mem- 
bers in  each  of  the  state  boards  of  education  is  as  follows: 

of 

States. 


3  Colorado,  Idaho,  Kentucky,  Mississippi,  Nevada,  Oregon,  Texas. 

4  Michigan,  Missouri. 
Florida,  Utah,  Vermont. 

6  Georgia,  West  Virginia. 

Connecticut,  Delaware,  Kansas,  New  Mexico,  North  Carolina, 
Oklahoma,  Pennsylvania,  Washington. 

8  Arizona,  Arkansas,  Maryland,  New  Jersey,  Rhode  Island,  Ten- 

nessee, Virginia. 

'.»  Iowa,  Massachusetts,  South  Carolina. 

10  Louisiana. 

1 1  California,  Indiana,  Montana,  New  York. 

of  the  thirty-seven  state  boards  of  education  ten  are  wholly  ex  officio. 

of  the^e,  eight  consist  of  state  officers  alone.   Nevada  makes  the  president 

-tate  university  a   member  of  its  board  of  three.     The  boards  of 

California  ami   Delaware,  as  hitherto  constituted,  are  the  only  completely 

-i  sting  almost  entirely  of  school  officials. 

All  the  state  boards  of  education,  save  those  of  Massachusetts,  New 

A    York,  aiid   Fowa,  have  one  or  more  members  ex  officio.     They 

usually  include  the  governor  or  state  superintendent,  or  both.     The  boards 

of    Ari/ona,    Indiana,    Kansas,    Utah,    Virginia    and    Washington    include 

one  or  more  professional   educators  among  their  ex  officio  members.     The 

tendency,   houever.  as   indicated    by   the  reconstruction   of  the  boards  of 

8y,  (ieorgia.  Oklahoma,  Vermont  and  the  newly 

created  boards  of  I  'en  nsy  1  vania,  Arkansas  and  Iowa,  is  away  from  the 
t .;•  tiffii-in  type.  New  York  has  gone  so  far  in  this  direction  as  to  prescribe 
that  ''there  shall  be  no  < r  ntfim,  members"  of  the  board  of  that  state, 
and  that  no  member  shall  be  a  trustee,  president,  principal,  or  any  other 
olh'cer  of  an  educational  institution  under  the  supervision  of  the  board. 

267561 


In  the  states  in  which  the  state  board  of  education  contains  other 
than  ex  officio  members,  the  usual  method  of  appointment  is  by  the  gov- 
ernor, often  with  the  provision  "by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent 
of  the  Senate."  Appointment  by  the  governor  prevails  in  Arizona,  Ar- 
kansas, Georgia,  Indiana,  Kansas,  Louisiana,  Maryland,  Pennsylvania, 
Iowa,  Massachusetts,  Montana,  New  Jersey,  New  Mexico,  Oklahoma, 
South  Carolina,  Tennessee,  Utah  and  Washington.  In  certain  states,  as, 
for  instance,  Arkansas,  Oklahoma,  Louisiana  and  West  Virginia,  the 
statutory  provision  is  that  one  member  must  be  appointed  from  each 
congressional  district.  In  New  York,  judicial  districts  must  be  repre- 
sented "as  far  as  may  be."  Such  boards  as  a  rule  must  be  bi-partisan. 
In  Massachusetts,  New  Jersey  and  Iowa,  all  members  are  appointed  by 
the  governor;  in  Arkansas,  Oklahoma  and  Pennsylvania  all  but  one  are 
so  appointed;  in  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island  non-ex-officio  members 
are  elected  by  the  general  assembly;  in  Virginia,  by  the  Senate  from 
a  list  of  eligibles,  and  in  West  Virginia  they  are  appointed  by  the 
state  superintendent.  In  New  York  all  are  elected  by  the  legislature. 
Michigan  is  the  only  state  which  provides  for  the  election  of  non-ex-officio 
members  by  popular  vote.  The  prevailing  practice,  then,  with  respect 
to  the  selection  of  members  of  state  boards  of  education,  is  appointment 
by  the  governor. 

The  appointment  of  members  of  a  state  board  of  education  by  the 
governor  is  obviously  attended  with  dangers.  Various  methods  have  been 
devised  to  guard  against  the  possibility  of  these  dangers.  As  already 
pointed  out,  Virginia  limits  the  selection  of  members  by  the  Senate  to  a 
list  of  eligibles.  This  list  must  include  members  of  the  faculties  of  state 
institutions.  Arizona,  Indiana,  Kansas,  New  Mexico,  Pennsylvania, 
Washington  and  West  Virginia,  by  narrowing  the  list  of  eligibles  to 
certain  school  officials,  or  persons  of  certain  educational  qualifications, 
also,  as  already  said,  practically  insure  for  themselves  a  professional 
board. 

When  educational  qualifications  are  prescribed  they  are  usually  of  :i 
general  character,  as,  for  instance,  "citizens  of  prominence  actively  en- 
gaged in  the  educational  work  of  the  state,"  as  in  Indiana,  Utah  and 
Kansas;  or  persons  of  "high  character,  integrity  and  capacity,"  as  in 
Maryland  and  Utah.  Of  the  more  efficient  boards  consisting  largely 
of  appointed  or  elected  members,  only  Massachusetts,  New  York  and  New 
Jersey  prescribe  no  educational  qualifications  whatever. 

In  terms  of  office  of  appointed  or  elected  members  of  the  different 
state  boards  of  education  there  is  wide  variation.  In  Kansas  and  Wash- 
ington such  members  serve  for  two  years;  in  Indiana,  Massachusetts, 
Ehode  Island  and  Virginia  three  years;  in  Connecticut,  Georgia,  Louisiana, 
Virginia  and  Montana  four  years;  in  New  Mexico  and  West  Virginia  five 


years;  in  Maryland,  Iowa,  Michigan,  Tennessee  and  Pennsylvania  six 
years;  in  Arkansas  seven;  in  New  Jersey  eight,  and  in  New  York  eleven. 
In  West  Virginia  there  is  a  peculiar  situation  whereby  a  board  is  ap- 
pointed for  a  term  of  five  years  by  a  state  superintendent  whose  term  of 
office  is  only  four  years.  Provision  is  almost  invariably  made  so  that 
members  are  not  all  appointed  at  one  time.  Thus  continuity  of  educa- 
tional policy  is  secured,  and  the  control  of  the  board  by  an  executive  or 
political  party  is  at  least  in  part  prevented.  This  unity  and  freedom 
from  external  control  are  apparently  the  only  principles  implied  in  fix- 
ing the  term  of  office. 

The  compensation  of  members  of  state  boards  of  education  is  univer- 
sally nominal.  The  actual  expenses  incurred  by  members  in  attendance 
upon  meetings  of  the  board  are  usually  allowed.  Sometimes  the  amount 
so  incurred  is  limited  to  a  specific  sum.  In  many  of  the  states  a  per 
(In  in  in  addition  to  necessary  expenses  is  allowed,  but  in  no  case,  ex- 
cept Oklahoma,  in  which  it  is  fixed  at  six  dollars,  does  this  amount  ex- 
ceed five  dollars.  Certain  states  limit  the  number  of  days  for  which  a 
per  diem,  or  expenses,  may  be  drawn.  Georgia  grants  an  honorarium  of 
$250  in  addition  to  traveling  expenses.  The  principle  of  providing  salaries 
for  members  of  a  state  board  of  education  receives  no  recognition  in  any 
of  the  states. 

III.     I'OWKRS  AND  DUTIES. 

The  different  powers  and  duties  of  state  boards  of  education,  as  pre- 
M-rihed  in  the  constitutions  and  legislation  of  the  various  states,  number 
some  seventy-five  or  one  hundred.  Many  of  them,  however,  are  unimpor- 
tant. A  few  boards  are  limited  to  the  performance  of  very  few  functions. 
In  Iowa,  fur  instance,  the  sole  important  function  of  the  state  board  is  to 
control  tlu-  higher  educational  institutions  of  the  state;  in  Texas,  merely  to 
and  apportion  school  funds,  and  act  as  a  court  of  appeals  from  the 
MS  .if  the  state  superintendent.  As  a  rule,  however,  the  board  is 
vested  with  such  powers  and  performs  such  duties  as  give  it  high  educa 
tional  diirnity  ami  importance.  Among  the  most  important  powers  and 
'•rihed  in  the  various  states  are  the  following:  the  supervision 
of  all  educational  \\ork  supported  in  whole  or  in  part  by  the  state;  the 
management  ami  investment  of  school  funds;  the  employment  of  a  state 
superintendent  or  equivalent  officer;  the  granting  and  revoking  of  teach- 
ers' certificates;  the  adoption  of  courses  of  study  and  uniform  series  of 
text -hooks  for  elementary  schools;  the  standardi/ing  of  the  secondary 
schools  and  colleges  of  the  state;  the  inspection  of  school  buildings  for 
sanitary  purposes*  and  the  furnishing  of  plans  and  specifications  for 
school  buildings;  the  medical  inspection  of  school  children  and  the  pre- 
of  tests  for  the:  t  and  hearing;  the  recommendation  of 


needed  school  legislation;  the  appointment  and  removal  of  county  super- 
intendents; the  encouragement  and  promotion  of  new  forms  of  educational 
effort;  the  conferring  of  degrees  and  diplomas;  the  control  of  appropri- 
ations for  equalizing  educational  advantages  throughout  the  state,  and  the 
supervision  of  semi-public  schools.  The  tendency,  particularly  as  re- 
vealed by  recent  school  legislation,  is  to  increase  the  powers  and  duties 
of  the  state  board.  Idaho,  for  instance,  has  recently  extended  the  duties 
of  the  state  board  from  the  mere  power  of  issuing  and  revoking  teachers' 
certificates  to  the  general  supervision  of  the  entire  educational  work  of 
the  state.  The  most  complete  educational  authority  is  vested  in  the 
boards  of  Massachusetts,  New  York  and  New  Jersey. 


IV.  CONSPECTUS. 

Most  of  the  facts  already  specified  with  respect  to  state  boards  of 
education  may  be  seen  at  a  glance  in  the  following  table  showing  the 
particular  states  that  now  have  a  state  board  of  education,  the  number  of 
members  of  these  boards,  the  terms  of  office,  composition,  and  the  most 
important  powers  and  duties  prescribed. 


STATE  BOARDS  OF  EDUCATION 


State. 


S    -3 
II 


Composition. 


Powers  and  Duties. 


Arizona  8        —     Governor,  superintendent, 

principals  of  normal 
schools,  president  uni- 
versity, and  a  principal 
of  high  school,  a  city 
superintendent  and  a 
county  superintendent 
appointed  by  governor.. 


(1)  To  prescribe  and  enforce  uni- 
form series  of  text-books  in  pub- 
lic schools.  (2)  Same  in  regard 
to  course  of  study.  (3)  To  grant 
six-year  and  life  diplomas  and 
revoke  them.  (4)  To  adopt  list 
of  books  for  school  libraries. 


Arkansas  .. 


Superintendent,    and    one 

member      from      each 

congressional       district 

appointed  by  governor..  (1)  To  manage  and  invest  the  com- 
mon school  fund.  (2)  To  charter 
educationaf  institutions.  (3)  To 
nave  general  supervision  of  the 
schools  of  the  state,  with  wide 

•  advisory  functions. 


STATE  BOARDS  OF  EDUCATION  (Continued) 


State. 


||     * 


Composition. 


Powers  and  Duties. 


SS     HO 
California    ....    11        — 


Governor,  superintendent, 
president  University  of 
California  and  its  pro- 
fessor of  pedagogy, 
principals  normal 

schools  (7) (1)   To  prescribe  uniform  series  of 

text  books  in  common  schools 
and  cause  them  to  be  printed  by 
state  and  sold  at  cost.  (2)  To 
adopt  rules  for  government  of 
schools  and  libraries.  (3)  To 
prescribe  high  school  credentials. 

(4)  To    grant    life    diplomas    of 
four    grades    and    revoke    them. 

(5)  To  designate  an  educational 
journal  as  official.     (6)  To  desig- 
nate credentials  of  other  states  on 
which  certificates  may  be  issued. 


Colorado    3          2     Superintendent,   secretary 

of  state,  attorney  gen- 
eral    (1)  To  grant  and  revoke  certifi- 
cates. (2)  To  adopt  rules  and 
regulations  for  government  of 
schools.  (The  legislature  and  the 
board  are  prohibited  by  the  con- 
stitution from  prescribing  text 
books) 


Connecticut 


Governor,  lieutenant  gov- 
ernor, secretary  board 
of  education,  and  four 
appointed  by  general 
»bly  


( 1 )  To  have  general  supervision 
and  control  of  educational  inter- 
ests. (2)  To  direct  what  books 
may  be  used  in  schools.  (3)  To 
secure  uniformity  of  reports.  (4) 
To  hold  and  conduct  teachers' 
meetings.  (5)  To  grant  and  re- 
voke certificates.  (6)  To  provide 
for  testing  eyesight  of  children. 

(7)  To  enforce  child  labor  law. 

(8)  To    maintain    normal    school 
and    model    school.     (9)    To    ap- 
point    a    secretary     and     fix     his 
salary. 


—  Governor,  secretary  of 
.-t;it«',  president  Dela- 
\v-.-in-  C..l!f(;t>,  state  au- 
ditor, and  senior  im-m- 
IMTS  of  county  school 
commissioners  . 


(1)  To  prescribe  uniform  series  of 
Looks.  (2)  To  secure  uni- 
form system  of  reports  from 
teachers  and  school  officers.  (3) 
To  determine  matters  of  contro- 
versy. 


10 


STATE  BOARDS  OF  EDUCATION  (Continued) 


State. 
Florida 


Georgia 


Idaho 


Indiana 


Composition. 


4  Governor,  superintendent, 
secretary  of  state,  at- 
torney general,  and 
state  treasurer  ... 


Governor,  state  superin- 
tendent, and  four  mem- 
bers appointed  by  gov- 
ernor ... 


2  Superintendent,  secretary 
of  state,  attorney  gen- 
eral   


Powers  and  Duties. 


(1)  To  remove  public  school  officers 
for  cause.  (2)  To  manage  and 
invest  school  funds.  (3)  To  de- 
cide appeals.  (4)  To  direct  and 
control  normal  schools,  Military 
Institute  and  Institute  for  Blind, 
Deaf  and  Dumb. 


(1)  To  decide  appeals.  (2)  To  or- 
der school  census.  (3)  To  select 
text-books  for  common  schools. 


(1)  To  grant  certificates  and  re- 
voke them.  (2)  To  recommend 
legislation.  (3)  To  have  general 
supervision  of  educational  work 
of  the  state.  (4)  To  present  reg- 
ulations for  sanitary  equipment 
and  inspection  of  school  build- 
ings. (5)  To  prepare  course  of 
study  for  public  schools.  (6)  To 
prescribe  rules  and  regulations 
for  institutes.  (7)  To  prepare 
examination  questions  for  teach- 
ers' certificates. 

(Duty  of  county  superintendents 
to  carry  out  the  instructions  of 
state  board  and  state  superin- 
tendent. The  state  board  of  edu- 
cation, state  superintendent  and 
county  superintendents  may  issue 
teachers'  certificates.  The  state 
board  has  general  control  of  en- 
tire system.) 


11  3  Governor,  superintendent, 
president  State  Univer- 
sity, president  Purdue 
Universitv,  president 
state  normal,  superin- 
tendents three  largest 
cities,  and  three  citi- 
zens actively  engaged 
in  educational  work, 
one  of  whom  must  be 
county  superintendent, 
appointed  by  governor.. 


(1)  To  grant  and  revoke  certifi- 
cates. (2)  To  act  as  teachers' 
training  board.  (3)  To  act  as 
state  library  board.  (4)  To  ap- 
point board  of  visitors  to  state 
normal.  (5)  To  prescribe  course 
of  study  for  accredited  schools. 
(6)  To  select  or  procure  the 
compilation  of  a  series  of  text- 
books to  be  used  in  common 
echools. 


11 


STATE  BOARDS  OF  EDUCATION  (Continued) 


State. 


It 


Composition. 


Powers  and  Duties. 


Kentucky 


Louisiana 


6  Appointed  by  governor, 
not  more  than  five  from 
same  political  party.... 

2  Superintendent,  chancel- 
lor State  University, 
president  State  Agri- 
cultural College,  presi- 
dent state  normal  and 
three  appointed  by 
governor  


4  Superintendent,  attorney 
general,  secretary  of 
state  . 


(Jr.v.-rnor.  superintendent, 
attorney  general,  seven 
appointed  by  governor, 
one  from  each  con- 
gressional district 


6     Governor,    superintendent 
and    six    appointed    by 
governor,    at    least   two 
horn   sli.-ill   be  from 
;ti-     political    par- 
Principals  of  nor- 
mal schools  and  of  nor- 
mal  departments  of  any 
school  or  college  under 
control     of     the     State 
Board      are      honorary 
members,    but    with    no 
richt    to    vote 


(1)    To   control   higher   educational 
institutions. 


(1)  To  grant  certificates.  (2)  To 
prescribe  courses  of  study  for 
public  schools,  normal  institutes 
and  Indian  training  schools.  (3) 
To  examine  and  accredit  educa- 
tional institutions  upon  applica- 
tion. 


(1)  To  prepare  rules,  by-laws  and 
regulations  for  government  of 
schools.  (2)  To  prepare  suitable 
lists  of  books  for  county  libraries. 
(3)  To  prescribe  regulations  for 
management  of  libraries.  (4)  To 
prescribe  and  publish  graded 
course  of  study  for  public  schools. 


(1)  To  prepare  rules,  regulations 
and  by-laws  for  government  of 
public  schools.  (2)  To  enforce 
uniformity  of  text-books  in  pub- 
lic schools. 


( 1 )  To  remove  or  suspend  county 
superintendents.  (2)  To  decide 
controversies  arising  over  the  law. 
(.*])  To  have  general  care  and 
supervision  of  public  school  in- 
is.  (4)  To  secure  uniform- 
ity in  statistical  reports  of  teach- 
ers and  county  boards.  (5)  To 
grant  MrttfiOMW.  (6)  To  act  as 
trustees  of  state  normal  schools. 


STATE  BOARDS  OF  EDUCATION  (Continued) 


State. 


Composition. 


Powers  and  Duties. 


Massachusetts 


Appointed  by  governor, 
with  approval  of  coun- 
cil   


(1)  To  secure  uniformity  of  re- 
ports. (2)  To  appoint  secretary. 
(3)  To  manage  state  normal 
schools.  (4)  To  arrange  for  prac- 
tice schools.  (5)  To  direct  and 
supervise  education  of  state  bene- 
ficiaries in  special  institutions 
for  deaf  and  blind.  (6)  To  re- 
ceive applications  of  teachers  and 
furnish  information  concerning 
such  applicants  to  school  com- 
mittees and  superintendents.  (7) 
To  manage  the  school  fund.  (8) 
To  determine  the  length  of  insti- 
tutes and  apply  not  more  than 
$350  to  meet  expenses  of  each. 
(9)  To  grant  high  school  certi- 
ficates and  certificates  to  sup- 
erintendents of  schools.  (10)  To 
prescribe  rules  of  instruction, 
test  cards,  blanks,  etc.,  for  test- 
ing sight  and  hearing  of  chil- 
dren. (11)  To  visit  county  tru- 
ancy schools.  (12)  To  inspect 
high  schools  for  the  purpose  of 
approving,  for  state  reimburse- 
ment of  tuition,  expenditures  for 
pupils  of  other  towns  not  having 
high  schools.  (13)  To  provide 
for  the  introduction  of  training 
in  industry,  agriculture  and  the 
household  arts.  (14)  To  have 
supervision  of  all  educational 
work  supported  in  whole  or  in 
part  by  the  commonwealth. 


Michigan  4 


Mississippi  ....      3 


Superintendent  (secre- 
tary), three  elected  by 
popular  vote  


Secretary  of  state,  attor- 
ney general  and  super 
intendent  public  in- 
struction   


( 1 )  To  supervise  normal  schools, 
and  prescribe  course  of  study  in 
same.  (2)  To  grant  state  certifi- 
cates. (3)  To  pass  on  text-books 
in  physiology. 


(1)  To  decide  appeals  from  the 
decision  of  the  county  or  the 
state  superintendent.  (2)  To  re- 
voke county  certificates  for 
cause.  (3)  To  audit  claims  against 
the  common  school  fund.  (4)  To 
determine  necessary  contingent 
expenses  of  state  superintendent's 
office.  (5)  To  regulate  all  matters 
arising  in  the  practical  admini- 
stration of  the  school  system 
which  are  not  otherwise  provided 
for.  (6)  To  adopt,  if  thought 
necessary,  a  course  of  study  to 


L8 


STATK  BOARDS  OF  EDUCATION 


State. 


Composition. 


Powers  and  Duties. 


HO 


Missouri 


4  Superintendent  (presi- 
dent), governor,  secre- 
tary of  state,  attorney 
general  


Montana 


11 


Governor,  superintendent, 
attorney  general  and 
eight  appointed  by  gov- 
ernor   


Kcrradi 


Governor,  superintendent, 
president  of  university.. 


Ni-\v   Jersey  ..8          8     Appointed  by  governor.... 


be  pursued  in  the  schools.  (7) 
To  designate  an  arbor  day.  (8; 
To  require  reports  from  county 
superintendents. 


( 1 )  To  supervise  entire  educational 
interests  of  state.  (2)  To  see 
that  state  school  moneys  are  col- 
lected and  properly  applied,  and 
to  report  to  the  legislature.  (3) 
To  prescribe  requirements  for 
approved  summer  schools.  (4) 
To  prepare  outlines  of  work  for 
county  institutes. 


(1)  To  control  and  supervise  state 
educational  institutions.  (2)  To 
grant  six-year  and  life  diplomas. 

(3)  To    appoint    instructors    in 
county  institutes.   (4)   To  formu- 
late a  state  course  of  study  for 
high  schools,  and  to  accredit  such 
high    schools    as    do    satisfactory 
work.    (5)   To  authorize  the  sup- 
erintendent to  provide  rules  and 
regulations  for  conducting  eighth 
grade      examinations.       (6)      To 
choose    and    appoint    a    president 
and  faculty  for  state  institutions 
and  fix  compensation.  (7)  To  have 
financial  management  of  said  in- 
stitutions.   (8)  To  regulate  course 
and  prescribe  text-books  for  state 
university. 

(1)  To  prescribe  the  course  of  study 
in  public  schools.  (2)  To  recom- 
mend list  of  books  for  district 
libraries.  '3)  To  issue  and  re- 
voke state  and  county  certificates. 

(4)  To  act  with  four  appointees 
of    governor    as    state    text-book 
commission. 

( 1 )  To  manage  state  normal  schools 
and  state  charitable  <Mlin-:itioiial 
institutions.  (2)  To  appoint,  and 
for  cause  remove,  county  super- 
intendents of  schools.  (3)  To 
prescribe  rules  and  regulations 
for  teachers'  institutes.  (4)  To 
decide  appeals  from  the  decision 
of  the  state  superintendent.  (51 
To  make  rules  and  regulations 
for  the  examination  of  teachers 
and  the  grading  of  MitUtoatM. 
(6)  To  appoint  one  member  to 
act  with  superintendent  and 
principals  of  normal  schools  as 
board  of  examiners. 


14 


STATE  BOARDS  OF  EDUCATION  (Continued) 


State. 


as 


Composition. 


Powers  and  Duties. 


New  Mexico..  7  5  Governor,  superintendent, 
three  appointed  by  gov- 
ernor from  heads  of 
state  educational  insti- 
tutions, one  from  coun- 
ty superintendents,  and 
one  from  persons  con- 
nected with  educational 

work    (1)    To    grant,    renew    and    revoke 

certificates.  (2)  To  adopt  series 
of  text-books.  (3)  To  prescribe 
uniform  course  of  study  for  pub- 
lic schools.  (4)  To  control  teach- 
ers' institutes. 

New    York....    11        11      Elected  by  legislature ;   as 

far  as  may  be,   one  from 

each  judicial  district....  (1)  To  establish  such  rules  and 
regulations  as  are  necessary  to 
carry  into  effect  the  statutes  re- 
lating to  education.  (2)  To  en- 
courage and  promote  higher  edu- 
cation. (3)  To  visit  and  inspect 
educational  institutions  and  de- 
partments of  the  university  and 
to  require  reports.  (4)  To  dis- 
tribute to,  to  expend  or  to  ad- 
minister for  them  such  property 
and  funds  as  the  state  may  ap- 
propriate therefor,  or  as  the  uni- 
versity may  own  or  hold.  (5)  To 
establish  examinations  in  the 
academies  of  the  university,  fur- 
nishing a  suitable  standard  for 
graduation  from  academies  and 
admission  to  colleges.  (6)  To 
confer  degrees,  diplomas  and 
certificates.  (7)  To  cooperate 
with  other  agencies  in  extending 
opportunities  and  facilities  for 
education  to  adults  as  well  as  to 
youths.  (8)  To  have  control  of 
the  state  library  and  state  mu- 
seum, and  to  establish  other  de- 
partments, if  deemed  necessary, 
and  to  maintain  lectures  con- 
nected with  higher  education. 


N.    Carolina  ..      7 


4  Governor,  superintendent, 
lieutenant  governor, 
secretary  o  f  state, 
treasurer,  auditor,  at- 
torney general 


(1)  To  loan  money  from  state 
literary  fund  to  county  boards  of 
education  for  building  and  im- 
proving school  houses.  (2)  To 
adopt  uniform  series  of  text- 
books for  public  schools.  (3)  To 
control  colored  normals.  (4)  To 
elect  directors  of  state  normal 
and  Indian  C'ollesre  and  trustees 
of  East  Carolina  Training  School. 
(6)  To  sell  swamp  lands  belong- 
ing to  board.  (7)  To  pass  upon 


15 


STATE  BOARDS  OF  EDUCATION  (Continued) 


State.  -^      = 

5  §        Si 


Oklahoma 


Composition. 


Superintendent,  and  six 
members  appointed  by 
governor  with  advice 
and  consent  of  senate- 


Powers  and  Duties. 


appeals  from  county  board.  (8) 
To  prescribe  other  studies  deemed 
necessary  in  public  schools. 


Oregon 


4  Governor,  secretary  of 
state,  and  superinten- 
dent ... 


Pennsylvania      7 


Superintendent     and     six 
appointed  by  governor.. 


Kh..ilf    Island      8 


(inv.-rnor.  lirut«-nant  gov- 
ernor, one  from  each 
of  four  counties  and 
twii  from  Providence 
oountv.  county  miMiiln-rs 
fleeted  by  general  as- 
sembly   


(1)  To  prepare  questions  for  coun- 
ty and  city  examinations.  (2) 
To  grant  certificates  to  teachers, 
and  to  conductors  and  instructors 
of  normal  institutes.  (3)  To  pre- 
pare blanks.  (4)  To  classify  and 
accredit  schools.  (5)  To  adopt 
courses  of  study  for  common 
schools  and  institutes,  and  text- 
books and  courses  for  higher 
institutions. 


( 1 )  To  authorize  series  of  text-books 
adopted  by  text-book  commission 
(the  latter  composed  of  five  ap- 
pointed by  governor).  (2)  To 
prepare  course  of  study  of  gram- 
mar grade  schools  and  of  cer- 
tain high  schools.  (3)  To  pre- 
scribe rules  and  regulations  for 
general  government  of  schools. 

(4)  To    grant    state    certificates 
and    diplomas     on     recommenda- 
tion of  state  board  of  examiners 
(four  to  nine  professional  teach- 
ers   appointed    by    state    board). 

(5)  To   indicate  source  of  ques- 
tions on  theory  and  practice.   (6) 
To  act  as  regents  of  state  univer- 
sity. 

(1)  To  equalize  educational  advan- 
tages. (2)  To  inspect  and  require 
reports  from  schools  and  insti- 
tutions wholly  or  partly  sup- 
ported by  state.  (3)  To  encour- 
age new  and  desirable  forms  of 
education.  (4)  To  prescribe  rules 
and  regulations  for  the  sanitary 
equipment  and  inspection  of 
school  buildings. 


(1)  To  elect  commissioner  of  schools 
(who  acts  as  secretary).  (2) 
To  appropriate  money  for  libra- 
ries and  to  prescribe  the  char- 
acter of  books  for  same.  (3)  To 
exercise  certain  control  over 
private  schools.  (4)  To  pre- 
scribe blanks.  (5)  To  examine 
teachers  and  to  issue  and  revoke 
certificates. 


16 


STATE  BOARDS  OF  EDUCATION  (Continued) 


State. 


Mil 


Composition. 


Powers  and  Duties. 


S.  Carolina....      9 


Tennessee 


4      Governor,    superintendent 

and     not     more      than 

seven       appointed       by 

governor  (1)  To  adopt  rules  and  regulations 

for  government  of  free  schools. 
(2)  To  prescribe  and  enforce 
rules  for  examination  of  teach- 
ers. (3)  To  prescribe  standard 
of  proficiency  entitling  persons 
examined  by  county  board  to 
certificates  as  teachers.  (4)  To 
prescribe  and  enforce  the  course 
of  study  in  free  public  schools.  (5) 
To  prescribe  and  enforce  uniform 
series  of  text-books  in  free  pub- 
lic schools.  (6)  To  grant  and  re- 
voke certificates.  (7)  To  award 
scholarships  created  by  general 
assembly  in  state  institutions. 

6      Governor,    superintendent 

and    six    appointed    by 

governor  (1)  To  report  to  general  assembly. 

(2)  To  manage  state  normal 
schools.  (3)  To  locate,  adopt 
course  of  study  and  employ 
teachers  and  officers  of  normal 
schools.  (4)  To  grant  diplomas. 
(5)  To  prescribe  rules  and  regu- 
lations for  examination  of  appli- 
cants for  county  superintendent. 


Texas  3 


Utah    .. 


Vermont    


Governor,  superintendent 
(secretary  ex  officio), 
secretary 


comptroller 


of        state, 


(1)  To  apportion  available  school 
funds  among  counties,  cities  and 
towns.  (2)  To  consider  appeals 
from  state  superintendent.  (3) 
To  care  for  investment  of  perma- 
nent school  funds. 

4  Superintendent,  president 
State  University,  presi- 
dent agricultural  col- 
lege, two  appointed  by 

governor  (1)  To  grant  diplomas  and  certi- 
ficates. (2)  To  appoint  two  of 
five  members  to  prescribe  course 
of  study.  (3)  To  promote  the 
establishment  of  libraries  and 
gymnasiums.  (4)  To  standardize 
high  schools. 

3  Governor,  superintendent, 
and  three  appointed  by 

governor  (1)  To  act  as  normal  school  com- 
missioners. (2)  To  control  nor- 
mal-industrial or  industrial 
schools. 


17 


STATE  BOARDS  OF  EDUCATION  (Continued) 


State. 


Composition. 


Powers  and  Duties. 


fcS     HO 

Virginia     .84      Governor,     attorney     gen- 
eral,       superintendent, 
three  elected  by  senate 
from    list    of    eligibles, 
including    members    of 
faculties  of  state  institu- 
tions, two  division  sup- 
erintendents of  schools.    (1)    To   divide   state  into  appropri- 
ate school  divisions.    (2)  To  pre- 
scribe    duties    of    superintendent, 
and  to  make  rules  and  regulations 
for  the  management  and  conduct 
of    schools.    (3)    To    provide    for 
the    examination    of    teachers    bv 
a  state  board  of  examiners,   and 
to  accredit  schools.   (4)  To  select 
text-books,    furniture    and    appli- 
ances    for     use     in     the     public 
schools.     (5)     To    guard    against 
the  multiplication  of  schools.   (6) 
To  decide  appeals  from   superin- 
tendent of  public  instruction.    (7) 
To  punish,  suspend  or  remove  di- 
vision superintendents  of  schools. 
(8)    To  appoint  directors  of  the 
state    library.    (9)    To    report    to 
general  assembly. 

Washington  ..7  2  Superintendent,  president 
State  University,  presi- 
dent State  College,  nor- 
mal school  principal, 
and  three  holding  state 
diplomas  appointed  by 

governor  (1)    To  prepare  a  course  of  study 

for  primary,  grammar  and  high 
schools.  (2)  To  grant  state  cer- 
tificates and  diplomas.  (3)  To 
prepare  uniform  series  of  ques- 
tions to  IH>  used  by  countv  super- 
intendents in  examinations.  (4) 
To  accredit  schools.  (5)  To  ap- 
prove courses  of  higher  institu- 
tions, and  to  unify  educational 
system. 

W.    Virginia..      6  5      Superintendent     and     five 

others  engaged  in  edu- 
cational work  appointed 
by  him,  one  from  each 

congressional  district. ...  (1)  To  act  as  state  board  of  ex- 
aminers. (2)  To  prescribe  a 
course  of  study  for  the  public 
schools.  (3)  To  define  the  rela- 
tion of  the  different  kinds  of 
schools. 


18 


V.     RELATION   OF   THE    SUPERINTENDENT    OF   PUBLIC 
INSTRUCTION. 

On  January  14,  1813,  New  York  elected  the  first  state  superintendent 
of  schools.  For  exactly  a  hundred  years,  then,  state  supervision  of  schools 
by  a  single  educational  official  has  had  a  place  in  American  school  systems. 
Today  every  state  in  the  Union  has  such  supervision.  The  name  of  the 
official  varies  in  the  different  states,  but  his  functions  are  in  general  of 
the  same  character.  In  the  earlier  period  of  state  supervision  in  almost 
all  of  the  states,  the  functions  of  a  state  superintendent  of  schools  were 
performed  by  some  other  state  officer,  usually  the  secretary  of  state.  Dela- 
ware, however,  is  the  only  state  in  which  this  practice  now  prevails. 

As  to  the  method  of  selection,  state  superintendents  of  schools  are,  in 
the  majority  of  states,  elected  by  the  people.  This  practice  prevails  in 
thirty-five  states.  In  Maine,  Maryland,  Minnesota,  New  Hampshire,  New 
Jersey,  Pennsylvania  and  Tennessee,  however,  the  superintendent  is  ap- 
pointed by  the  governor.  In  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  Rhode  Island 
and  New  York  he  is  appointed  by  the  state  board  of  education,  and  in 
Vermont  by  the  general  assembly. 

In  all  ex  officio  state  boards  of  education  the  superintendent  is  a  mem- 
ber. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  board  in  twenty  other  states,  namely, 
Arizona,  Arkansas,  Connecticut,  Georgia,  Indiana,  Kansas,  Louisiana, 
Maryland,  Michigan,  Montana,  New  Mexico,  Oklahoma,  Pennsylvania, 
South  Carolina,  Tennessee,  Utah,  Vermont,  Virginia,  Washington  and 
West  Virginia.  In  Arkansas,  Kansas,  Michigan,  Mississippi,  Oklahoma, 
Pennsylvania,  Utah,  Washington  and  West  Virginia,  he  is  chairman  of 
the  board,  and  in  West  Virginia  he  is  authorized  to  appoint  the  other  mem- 
bers. The  prevailihg  tendency  in  modern  thought  upon  school  administra- 
tion is  to  favor  the  appointment  of  a  superintendent  by  the  state  board 
of  education,  to  act  as  secretary  and  executive  agent  of  the  board.  This  is 
the  method  practiced  by  Massachusetts  since  1837.  It  is  also  the  method 
of  New  York.  In  New  Jersey  the  relation  of  the  superintendent  is 
similar,  although  he  is  appointed  by  the  governor.  These  states  have 
initiated  a  practice  which  in  time  wiJl  probably  become  general,  that  is, 
of  selecting  a  superintendent  with  respect  only  to  his  ability  and  without 
regard  to  his  place  of  residence.  Election  of  a  superintendent  by  the 
I  eople  has  many  things  to  commend  it,  but  it  is  gradually  giving  way 
to  the  principle  of  selection,  almost  generally  accepted  in  political  science, 
that  expert  service  may  be  more  certainly  secured  by  appointment  than 
by  popular  election. 


lit 


VI.     liOAIiDS  <)F  MASSACHUSETTS,  NEW  YORK,  PENNSYLVANIA 
AND  WASHINGTON. 

For  the  purpose  of  comparison  it  may  be  well  to  describe  somewhat 
in  <lrtail  the  two  oldest  state  boards  of  the  country  and  one  or  two  of 
the  newest. 

The  oldest  board  is  that  of  New  York.  In  1904  the  Unification  Act 
nt'  New  York  destroyed  the  division  of  power  existing  prior  to  that  time 
1. etween  the  board  of  regents  and  the  superintendent  of  public  instruction, 
:-iid  provided  New  York  with  an  educational  organization  more  elaborate 
than  is  to  be  found  in  any  other  state. 

The  University  of  the  State  of  New  York  is  a  corporation  created  in 
1784.  It  includes  all  the  incorporated  higher  educational  institutions  of 
the  state.  The  state  library  and  the  state  museum  are  departments  of  the 
university  and  the  board  of  regents  may  establish  other  departments  if 
they  are  deemed  necessary  to  the  discharge  of  its  duties. 

The  board  of  regents  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York  is 
thus  in  reality  a  state  board  of  education.  It  is  composed  of  eleven  mem- 
ben  who  are  elected  by  the  legislature  to  serve  for  a  period  of  eleven 
years.  No  officers  of  any  of  the  incorporated  educational  institutions  of 
,te  are  eligible  to  membership.  There  are  no  ex  ojficio  members,  but 
the  commissioner  of  education  acts  as  its  executive  officer.  This  board 
has  power  to  exclude  from  membership  any  institution  failing  to  comply 
with  the  law  of  the  state  or  the  rules  of  the  board.  It  has  charge  of 
private  academies  and  in  some  measure  of  the  public  secondary  schools 
as  well  as  of  all  the  higher  institutions.  All  the  powers  and  duties  of  the 
board  in  relation  to  the  supervision  of  elementary  and  secondary  schools, 
including  all  s.-hooK  except  colleges,  technical  and  professional  schools, 
devolve  upon  the  commissioner  of  edu<-;it  ion,  who  is  elected  by  the  board 

t"    serve    during    ^ 1    lehaxior.      The    hoard    of    New    York    has    pouer    to 

'  Mahlish  such  rules  and  regulations  as  are  necessary  to  carry  into  effect 
the  statutes  of  the  state  relating  to  education.  It  cooperates  with  other 
agencies  in  bringing  within  the  reach  of  the  people  of  the  state,  young 
and  old.  the  largest  educational  opportunities  by  stimulating  interest, 
recommending  method-*,  dr-i g na t  i i:-  Miitahle  teachers  and  lecturers,  and 
l>y  lending  hooks  and  apparatus.  It  i->t aldishes  in  the  academies  of  the 
university  examinations  in  -Indies,  furnishes  a  suitalde  standard  for  grad 
nation  from  academie>  and  of  admission  to  college,  and  grants  certificates 
and  diplomas  to  those  \\lio  pa*s  Mich  examinations.  It  controls  the  whole 
matter  of  granting  honorary  degn-es  and  diplomas.  The  hoard  has  power 
to  incorporate  any  university,  college,  academy,  lihrarv.  museum,  or  other 
institution  for  the  promotion  of  science,  literature,  art,  history  or  other 
departments  of  knowledge. 


20 

The  New  York  plan  has  been  criticised  as  illustrating  too  great  cen- 
tralization of  authority.  It  is  perhaps  too  early  to  determine  whether  it 
is  superior  to  the  other  types  of  board.  There  can  be  no  doubt,  however, 
about  the  general  tendency  being  strongly  toward  greater  centralization. 
"Not  only  are  its  advantages  quite  apparent,"  says  President  Butler  of 
Columbia  University,  "b'ut  the  overwhelming  current  of  legislation  and 
cf  the  decisions  of  the  courts  is  making  it  imperative.  These  are  practi- 
cally in  accord,  and  are  to  the  effect  that  in  each  state  the  school  system 
is  not  local,  but  general;  not  individual  schools  controlled  by  separate 
communities,  but  a  closely  related  system  of  schools  which  has  become  a 
state  system  and  is  entirely  under  state  authority.  Local  school  officials 
are  now  uniformly  held  to  be  agents  of  the  state  for  the  administration  of 
a  state  system  of  education." 

The  Massachusetts  board  of  education  originated  in  1837.  Horace 
Mann  was  its  first  secretary.  It  consisted  of  ten  members — the  governor, 
lieutenant  governor,  and  eight  members  appointed  by  the  governor.  The 
number  of  members  and  the  method  of  appointment  remained  the  same 
until  1909.  Attempts  were  made  soon  after  its  establishment  to  abolish 
the  board,  but  its  effectiveness  is  now  generally  admitted.  '  'It  has  always 
stood  for  safety,  at  least,  if  not  for  brilliant  initiative.  Still  further  it 
has  no  doubt  provided,  all  things  considered,  a  better  state  educational 
administration  than  the  people  would  have  directly  provided  for  them- 
selves, voting  at  the  popular  election.  The  board  has  also  proved  a  very 
competent  authority  to  manage,  with  the  help  of  its  secretary,  the  state 
normal  schools. ' '1  A  former  secretary  of  the  board  declares  that  * '  the 
board  has  been  almost  the  sole  instrumentality  in  securing  helpful  legis- 
lation and  in  protecting  the  schools  from  hostile  enactments.  It  has  also 
had  a  powerful  uplifting  and  broadening  influence."  Its  reports  have 
carried  information  to  the  people  of  Massachusetts  and  have  often  been 
republished  by  the  legislatures  of  other  states,  by  the  British  parliament, 
and  by  the  German  government. 

In  1905  Massachusetts  appointed  a  commission  on  industrial  and  tech- 
nical education.  It  was  authorized  to  investigate  "the  needs  for  education 
in  the  different  grades  of  skill  and  responsibility  in  the  various  industries 
of  the  commonwealth,"  and  also  to  ascertain  "how  far  the  needs  are  met 
by  existing  institutions,"  and  to  "consider  what  new  forms  of  educa- 
tional effort  may  be  advisable."  This  commission  in  its  report  recom- 
mended the  creation  of  a  commission  on  industrial  education,  and  such  a 
commission  was  appointed  in  1906.  In  1909  this  commission  was  consoli- 


iHinsdale:     Horace   Mann   and   the   Common   School   Revival   in    the 
United  States,  page  108. 


21 

dated  with  the  state  board  of  education.  This  new  board  consists  of 
nine  members  appointed  by  the  governor  and  confirmed  by  the  council. 

As  constituted  in  1837,  the  board  had  duties  but  no  particular  powers. 
It  was  to  prepare  an  abstract  of  the  school  returns  and  to  make  an  annual 
report  to  the  legislature  concerning  the  conditions  and  the  efficiency  of 
the  common  school  system,  and  to  suggest  means  of  improving  it.  Its 
powers  and  duties  have  been  gradually  enlarged  until  today  it  is  author- 
ized to  supervise  all  the  school  work  of  the  state  supported  in  whole 
or  in  part  by  the  commonwealth,  and  to  appoint  a  commissioner  of  educa- 
tion, to  fix  his  salary,  and  to  appoint  two  deputy  commissioners  at  equal 
salaries,  one  of  whom  shall  be  especially  qualified  to  deal  with  industrial 
education.2  Other  powers  and  duties  of  this  board  are  specified  on  page  12. 

One  of  the  newest  boards  of  education  is  that  of  Pennsylvania.  The 
new  code  adopted  in  that  state  provides  for  a  state  board  of  education  con- 
sisting of  the  superintendent  and  six  members  appointed  by  the  governor. 
The  term  of  office  is  to  be  six  years.  Three  of  the  appointive  members 
must  be  successful  educators  of  high  standing,  connected  with  the  school 
system  of  the  commonwealth.  All  members  serve  without  compensation 
other  than  the  payment  of  necessary  expenses  incurred  in  the  performance 
of  their  duties  as  members  of  the  board.  The  superintendent  of  public 
instruction  is  < ./•  o///V/o  a  member  of  the  board  and  its  president.  Among 
the  powers  and  duties  of  the  board  are  the  following:  to  recommend 
needed  school  legislation;  to  equalize,  through  special  appropriations  for 
that  purpose,  or  otherwise,  the  educational  advantages  of  the  different 
of  the  commonwealth;  to  inspect  schools  and  institutions  wholly  or 
partly  supported  by  the  state  which  are  not  supervised  by  other  public 
authorities,  and  require  reports  from  them;  to  encourage  and  promote 
agricultural  education,  manual  training,  domestic  science  and  such  other 
\ocational  and  practical  education  as  the  needs  of  the  commonwealth  may 
require;  to  prescribe  rules  and  regulations  for  the  sanitary  equipment  and 
inspection  of  school  buildings,  and  to  take  such  other  action  as  it  may 
deem  •eeenny  and  expedient  to  promote  the  physical  and  moral  welfare 
of  the  children  in  the  puldic  schools;  and  to  appoint  such  officers  as  it 
deem-  Reeanary  and  to  define  their  duties. 3  Of  this  board  the  United 
<'iimnii-sioner  of  Education  says,  it  "appears  to  be  an  innovation 
of  importance,  hut  the  provi-ions  relating  to  it  are  Mich  that  it  has  little 
independent  power.  Its  functions  are  not  greatly  differentiated  from 
of  the  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  and  it  is  apparently 
expected  that  the  latter  official  will  be  the  ruling  force  in  the  board,  of 
which  he  is  president.''-*  As  a  rule,  however,  boards  when  first  created 


-  Reports    t*.    S.    Commissioner    of    Education,    1908,    Vol.    1,   page    44; 

I'.HI'.t.    Vol.    1.    pa-e    ll1. 

B    Mool  Laws  and    Decisions  of   Pennsylvania.    I'.'ll,   pages  49-50. 

*  Reports,  1911,  Vol.  1,  pages  6s 


22 

are  not  endowed  with  great  powers.  Their  powers  grow.  Connecticut 
has  long  had  a  state  board  of  education,  but  according  to  the  report  of 
the  Connecticut  educational  commission  it  is  not  yet  armed  with  sufficient 
authority  to  carry  out  its  legitimate  purposes.  "The  board  often  finds 
itself  confronted  by  unwillingness  to  accept  advice,  resentment  of  coun- 
sel, determined  opposition  to  anything  like  control.  The  statutes  whose 
operation  would  tend,  and  do  tend,  to  an  amelioration  of  evil  are  mostly 
permissive. ' '  These  statutes  in  the  opinion  of  the  commission  should  be 
changed  "so  that  they  should  compel  rather  than  permit.  In  short,  the 
commission  is  distinctly  of  the  opinion  that  the  state  board  should  be 
armed  with  a  lawful  authority  to  supervise  and  control  the  educational 
interests  of  the  state.  "5 

Washington  is  one  of  the  states  which  has  recently  reorganized  its 
State  board  of  education.  The  facts  concerning  it  are  perhaps  sufficiently 
set  forth  in  the  table  (see  page  17). 


VII.  ADVANTAGES  OF  A  STATE  BOARD. 

The  advantages  of  a  properly  constituted  state  board  of  education 
are  perhaps  sufficiently  obvious,  and  yet  in  almost  every  attempt  to  re- 
organize a  state  educational  system  some  opposition  to  the  principle  of 
control  of  educational  affairs  by  a  state  board  has  been  manifested.  In 
view  of  this,  it  may  be  well  to  set  forth  briefly  some  of  these  advantages. 
In  the  first  place,  a  state  board  is  usually  regarded  as  necessary  to  secure 
the  systematic  organization  of  the  state  educational  forces.  Such  a  board 
has  proved  to  be  an  effective  means  of  developing  and  sustaining  public 
sentiment  in  favor  of  the  highest  and  best  things  in  education.  It  repre- 
sents public  recognition  of  the  importance  and  dignity  of  the  educational 
work  of  a  state.  It  may  hold  aloft  high  ideals  with  respect  to  schools, 
prevent  the  over-lapping  of  the  work  of  the  different  educational  institu- 
tions, be  instrumental  in  formulating  needed  school  legislation  and  in 
securing  its  passage.  It  should  protect  schools  from  ill-advised,  needless 
or  hostile  legislation.  In  short,  through  a  properly  constituted  and  effi- 
cient state  board  of  education,  orderly  and  intelligent  educational  ad- 
vancement may  be  secured,  and  the  educational  system  may  be  enabled 
to  adjust  itself  more  or  less  automatically  to  the  changing  educational 
needs  and  conditions  of  a  growing  state. 


s  Eeport    of   the   Connecticut    Special   Educational    Commission,    1909, 
page  7. 


23 


VIII.     INFERENCES. 

It  is  unsafe  to  draw  anything  but  general  inferences  from  the  present 
constitution  and  powers  of  state  boards  of  education  with  respect  to  the 
creation  of  a  new  board  for  California.  Educational  conditions  here  are 
not  exactly  the  same  as  in  the  other  states.  Moreover,  the  existing  boards 
are  not  ideal.  They  are  not  what  they  ought  to  be,  but  what  they  may 
be;  that  is,  they  are  the  results  of  compromise. 

In  general,  however,  and  without  regard  to  the  particular  needs  of 
*;ite,  the  following  inferences  with  respect  to  the  creation  of  a 
state  board  of  education  may  be  drawn  from  existing  practice  and  modern 
thought  upon  educational  administration.  First,  a  state  board  of  educa- 
tion properly  constituted  is  a  valuable  educational  agency,  and  should  be 
tn  integral  part  of  a  state  educational  system.  Second  it  should  consist 
of  not  less  than  five  nor  more  than  nine  members.  These  members  should 
not  be  ex  ojficio.  They  should  be  appointed  by  the  governor  with  the 
advico  and  consent  of  the  senate,  and  should  be  citizens  of  recognized 
ability  and  public  spirit.  The  board  should  be  non-partisan.  The  term 
of  office  should  be  in  general  longer  than  that  of  the  appointing  officer. 
Third,  among  the  powers  and  duties  that  should  be  assigned  to  such  board 
are  the  following:  to  have  general  supervision  of  the  public  schools  of  the 
state;  to  elect  a  secretary  who  shall  be  its  executive  officer,  and  to  appoint 
such  other  officers  as  it  may  deem  necessary  to  the  effective  supervision 
of  the  schools  of  the  state;  to  classify  and  standardize  the  public  schools; 
to  provide  rules  for  the  apportionment  of  school  funds,  and  for  the  dis- 
tribution of  any  fund  that  may  be  set  aside  to  assist  and  encourage 
schools;  to  provide  rules  and  regulations  for  the  granting  of  teachers' 
certificates;  to  provide  plans  and  specifications  for  school  buildings;  to 
provide  for  the  sanitary  inspection  of  school  buildings  and  for  the  ex- 
amination of  pupils  to  detect  contagious  and  infectious  diseases  and  physi- 
cal defects,  and  to  take  such  other  action  as  may  seem  necessary  to  pro- 
mote tlio  physical  welfare  of  school  children;  to  prescribe,  or  recommend, 
minimum  courses  of  study  for  public  schools;  to  encourage,  and  provide  for, 
new  forms  of  educational  effort,  and  in  general  to  take  such  action  as 
may  be  necessary  to  promote  the  organization  and  increase  the  efficiency 
«.f  the  educational  systom  of  the  state.  With  such  or  similar  powers  and 
duties  a  properly  constituted  board  of  education  should  be  of  the  highest 
value  with  respect  to  educational  administration  and  educational  develop- 


24 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


DEXTER,  E.  G. — The  State  System;  in  his  History  of  Education  in  the 
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DRAPER,  A.  S. — Limits  of  State  Control  in  Education.  Educational  Re- 
view 1:26-32  (January,  1901). 

DRAPER,  A.  S. — Educational  Organization  and  Administration.  In  mono- 
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1:3-31,  1904. 

DUTTON,  S.  T.  and  SNEDDEN,  DAVID — The  Administration  of  Public  Educa- 
tion in  the  United  States,  1908,  pp.  54-72. 

EASTON,  WARREN — Best  System  of  State  Supervision.  United  States  Bureau 
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FAIRLIE,  J.  A. — Public  Education;  in  his  Centralization  of  Administration 
in  New  York  State,  Columbia  University  Studies  in  History,  Econo- 
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MACLEAN,  G.  E. — Unification  of  a  State's  Educational  Forces.  New  Eng- 
land Magazine,  Vol.  44:355. 

NEW  YORK  (STATE)  LEGISLATURE — Final  Report  of  the  special  joint  com- 
mittee on  Educational  Administration,  1904. 

SCHOOL  REVIEW— Appointive  or  Elected  Boards  of  Education,  16:36  (1908). 

SCHOOL  REVIEW — Proposed  Unification  of  Educational  Administration,  11: 
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WEBSTER,  W.  A. — Recent  Centralizing  Tendencies  in  State  Educational 
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